Labor Laws & Money Blog

In the week ending June 27, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 215,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 215,000 to 216,000. The 4-week moving average was 222,000, a decrease of 2,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 224,250 to 224,500.

WASHINGTON – Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling issued the following statement regarding the June 2026 Employment Situation Report:“The policies championed by President Trump and the Working Families Tax Cuts continue to drive private-sector employment, accelerating from last year. This administration has created more than 900,000 jobs while keeping government employment at its lowest levels since 1966. The certainty that our manufacturers and construction sectors are seeing thanks to the permanency of key tax provisions will fuel economic growth for American businesses, families, and workers across the country. The June Jobs Report added 57,000 jobs marking the fourth consecutive month of positive payroll growth. Manufacturing employment, which was devastated under the Biden Administration, continues to grow as we secure historic investments and reshoring of critical industries.President Trump’s America first agenda continues to provide greater wages for workers and certainty to the sectors which will fuel the next 250 years of U.S. economic security.”

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of $12.7 million in Susan Harwood Training Grants to support the delivery of training and education to help workers and employers identify and prevent workplace safety and health hazards.Administered by the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the grants aim to advance the job quality of the American workforce by providing instructor-led training opportunities for workers and employers in small businesses with an emphasis on industries with high injury, illness, and fatality rates.The grants will fund training and education on hazard awareness, avoidance, and controls to protect workers from on-the-job hazards, and to inform workers of their rights and employers of their responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Applicants may apply in the following categories:Targeted Topic Training: Support educational programs that identify and prevent workplace hazards and require applicants to conduct training on OSHA-designated workplace safety and health hazards.Training and Educational Materials Development: Support the development of quality classroom-ready training and educational materials that identify and prevent workplace hazards.The grants are available to non-profit organizations, including community-based, faith-based, grassroots organizations, employer associations, labor unions, joint labor/management associations, Indian tribes, and public/state colleges and universities; entities that operate OSHA On-Site Consultation programs; and OSHA Training Institute Education Centers.Submit applications no later than 11:59 p.m. EDT on July 31, 2026. Applicants must register with Grants.gov and the System of Award Management to apply.  The grants honor the legacy and work of Dr. Susan Harwood who, during her 17 years with OSHA, developed workplace safety guidelines for benzene, formaldehyde, bloodborne pathogens and lead in the construction industry. Harwood was also primary author of OSHA’s cotton dust standard which virtually eliminated byssinosis – a lung disease that causes asthma-like symptoms – among textile workers.Read the funding notice and how to apply.Learn more about OSHA.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of up to $250,000 in grant funding to support the delivery of education and training to the nation’s mining community to help them identify, avoid, and prevent unsafe and unhealthy working conditions.Established by the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006, the Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety Grants program honors 25 miners who perished in disasters in 2001 at the Jim Walter Resources #5 Mine in Brookwood, Alabama, and at the Sago Mine in Buckhannon, West Virginia, in 2006.   Administered by the department’s Mine Safety and Health Administration, the grants will fund education and training programs focused on effective emergency response and recovery training in various types of mining conditions. Applications must be submitted by Aug. 31, 2026. MSHA will award grants on or before Sept. 30, 2026.Learn more or submit a grant application.

HOUSTON – The U.S. Department of Labor has proposed more than $3.5 million in fines against three companies after federal inspectors determined they failed to protect workers during post-emergency response cleanup after a chemical spill at the BWC Terminals industrial facility in Channelview.The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration initiated three inspections after a Dec. 27, 2025, sulfuric acid spill at the BWC Terminals LLC industrial facility led to multiple employee injuries. OSHA found that despite safety warnings, BWC Terminals mixed fresh and spent sulfuric acid, triggering a tank overpressure that ruptured a supply line releasing 1 million gallons of sulfuric acid resulting in multiple employee injuries.Following the chemical spill, BWC Terminals contracted Coastal Environmental Solutions Inc. to handle hazardous waste cleanup and Coastal Environmental Solutions hired subcontractor One Way Environmental Services LLC to provide laborers for the cleanup and remediation process. “Despite having full knowledge of the severe hazards involved in the spill and cleanup response, these three employers chose to bypass OSHA requirements and put their workers at serious risk,” said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Health and Safety David Keeling. “Their joint failure to protect workers was not an oversight, it was a choice that resulted in preventable employee injuries and environmental impacts. We will not hesitate to hold employers accountable when they ignore federal laws that are in place to protect workers safety and health.”OSHA investigators cited One Way Environmental Services LLC for 18 willful egregious and five serious violations after investigators found the employer sent workers to clean up the chemical spill without adequate training, respirator fit tests, or safety measures. OSHA proposed $3,045,452 in penalties. Coastal Environmental Solutions Inc. faces $392,501 in proposed penalties for two willful and five serious violations that include a lack of training, a safety and health program, an emergency response plan for hazardous waste operations and emergency response, and deficiencies related to use of respirators.BWC Terminals was cited with six serious violations for exposing workers to chemical burns, failing to provide hazmat training, and deficiencies relating to the use of respirators. OSHA proposed $82,750 in penalties.Cumulatively, proposed penalties against the three employers total $3,520,703.The companies have 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA’s area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.Learn more about OSHA, including information on chemical hazard safety. In addition, employers can contact the agency for free compliance assistance and resources.